Sailing for Beginners—Tips and Tricks

Sailing for beginners is very simple, and a skilled instructor can teach you the basics in one session. Most beginners sail on their own after just a few days of lessons. Once you’re sailing, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to learn.

What are you waiting for? Let’s hop on board!

Here are tips and tricks in sailing for beginners that will help you sail in no time!

1. Know the right-of-way

You should be able to tell which way the wind’s blowing. This tip is tricky at first for some people but soon becomes second nature. And sailboats have gadgets to help you: there’s a wind vane at the top of the mast and ribbons or yarns (“telltales”) tied in the rigging that show wind direction; even skilled sailors refer to these aids regularly.

It’s not a sailing free-for-all, and there are rules to govern how sailing craft should maneuver to ensure they do not clash with one another. How you move is based on many variables including what type of boat it is, what side the wind is on, whether you are planning to overtake. Get familiar with these nautical rules to prevent a mishap.

2. Start small

Like no-one chooses to learn how to drive using a bus, the same applies to sailing. Start with a small boat, preferably a tiny dinghy because it will be more responsive and easy to maneuver. It will also be far easier to deal with in the event of capsizing, which you will inevitably do at some point.

A lot of new sailors tend to find that smaller boats are easier to work with. They’re typically more responsive than larger ships and make understanding the basics of sailing much more comfortable.

3. Take instruction

Don’t try and teach yourself on the water. Not only is this risky, but it is also expected to be time-consuming and therefore costly. By all means, you should invest some time in learning the basics from books and guides, but a practical instruction should come from someone with good sailing experience.

A right sailing course is worth investing in. Take a few lessons with a trained professional. Few people learn how to sail from a book. While a lot of knowledge can be learned from sailing books and the Internet, there’s nothing like getting that in-person training.

This tip takes most people about five minutes to learn, maybe ten for those who can’t chew gum and walk at the same time. But you can’t adjust your sails correctly unless you can steer a straight line. Learn about the wind, the horizontal movement of air, and how your ability to predict and harness can make or break your sailing experience.

5. Be alert and always maintain a lookout

It may seem obvious, but still look where you are going! Sailing is fun, but there are plenty of other craft out there, so be on lookout using both eyes and ears to help stop collisions. To give you sufficient time to respond to the danger you should always keep a safe speed.